Bloom

Feeling a bit wistful today (is there an emoji for that?). I see my 'friends' flying off to exotic places, meeting interesting people and doing fantastic things as I sit here stewing in envy while cleaning dust and tossing trash in the perfume studio. I read somewhere recently that the 'experience economy' is on the rise, that people aren't content to just sit around and learn from books and the internet, that they want something more immersive than that, and I believe it. I started my experience econ journey last year (in April, to be exact), when I took off to Oregon to be present at a perfume class, and then several times gone up to Sacramento to experiment with tools and equipment I do not possess in an effort to educate myself further. You cannot be an effective educator if you aren't always on a journey of learning and exploration. Problem is, none of that is happening in the big way that I want -- just yet. It begins in two weeks, this sojourn into education and educating. In the meantime, I stare at the computer screen wishing it were me jetting off to learn something new. 

Everything is blooming here in sunny California. The Cecile Brunner cutting that I received from a dear friend a few years back, around 2019 or so, has turned into an absolute monster of a rose bush. It is crawling up the wall to the second story balcony and blooming the whole way up. I harvest Cecile Brunner to dry the petals to dust handmade marshmallows, or use in incense. The scent is sweet and rosy and subtle, the blossoms small and showy. The centifolia growing in front is budding out and will bloom in late April, early May, y'know, Rose de Mai. I've got a dozen or so cuttings of this rose bush, and the Cecile Brunner, that I plan to sell later, as finding real perfumery grade roses is difficult if you aren't watching the sellers like a hawk -- they go so quickly it's always, sold out! So sorry, check back next year. The chamomile out back is blooming too, as is the rose geranium. I am hurrying to finish the shop clean-up so I can set up the distillation table and get these things processed. I let everything go to hell last year because the energy wasn't there, but I can't afford to let it all go this year. I plan on reinstating the old 30L copper still with some modifications to keep it from getting too messy. The last few distillations I made with the steel unit had still notes that drove me bonkers for weeks. I kept forgetting to add the copper bits to the retort to help neutralize those sulphuric notes (still notes). Once those notes dissipate, the hydrosols are good. I'm also wanting to collect some essential oil this time around, so I have to use a larger unit for that. 

Today is a soap day and the two on the list are something with a touch of rose, and something ambery. I'm still working out the deets on the perfumed Mother's Day bath oil & soap combo. I should probably get that sorted today too. 

First bloom of 2024 Cecile Brunner Rose